Pinhas, Richard

Artist: Mark Jenkins
P:1994
Mexico Rising opens with an epic concept track whipping through ambient, techno, ethnic and trance music and closes with powerful, spacey, sequenced music.  Inspired by a journey around Mexico and starting with an epic, six-section concept piece covering everything from dark ambient to thumping techno music, via melodic synth/sequencer material, all inspired by differing aspects of that majestic country. Joined by several long, sequencer-based tracks under the title "Space Odysseys", and even a synthesized orchestral/traditional music track, and featuring Alquimia (voice), Steve Jolliffe (wind synth and flute) and Richard Pinhas (guitar).

Artist: Richard Pinhas + Merzbow + Wolf Eyes
P: 2012
Merzbow, Richard Pinhas and Wolf Eyes together live at the Victoriaville Fest.

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1996
Recorded live on a Roland Guitar at Heldon Studio, Paris, June-September 1995.

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1976 / 1994
While 1977's Rhizosphere was Richard Pinhas' official first solo album, Chronolyse is technically his debut. The problem was the album was recorded in 1976, but shelved until 1978, when it finally got released on Cobra. I really don't understand the two year delay, other than probably due to the fact Heldon had released two albums in 1976 (Agneta Nilsson, Un Rêve Sans Consequence Speciale), and having a Richard Pinhas album released that year might have been too much (much like Peter Hammill's Over's release was delayed, likely due to Van der Graaf Generator having coughing up two albums in 1976 with Still Life and World Record). Or perhaps the Urus label (which was previously called Disjuncta, which released all the Heldon albums up to Agneta Nilsson) went under and never got a chance to released Chronolyse. Too bad, I really thought the album deserved a release when it was first recorded because this is a truly great album of electronic and prog. Much of the first half of the album is consumed with "Sur Le Themes de Bene Gesserit", divided in seven parts. This is all sequenced electronic music, with a nice spacy feel to it. Like Rhizosphere, he doesn't touch the guitar. These pieces tend to be short, and they never overstay their welcome. The second half consists of the 30+ minute "Paul Atreides", at times closer to the Heldon sound you come to expect, where he also uses guitar and even Mellotron (that's the one instrument giving it away this wasn't recorded at the time of release, as after 1976, Richard Pinhas gave up on the Mellotron, he likely had those similar mechanical problems his idol Robert Fripp had, which caused Fripp to say, "Tuning a Mellotron doesn't"). This piece is simply amazing! It's truly one of the highlights for electronic music for me, and one of the best things I've heard in the Richard Pinhas/Heldon catalog. This album is truly a must-have for electronic music fans!

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1996
Maxi CD with different Tracks than the normal Cyborg Sally CD.

Here the last copy!

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1993
This is a collection of unreleased tracks, Pinhas played between 1983-1991. So we find different styles, mostly electronic, sometimes with a symphonic touch.

Here the last copy!

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P:  1994
Often nick-named the 'French Fripp', Guitarist/Electronic whizz Richard Pinhas decided to release some solo work alongside his band work. East/West is the 4th solo release of his, and again he summons the help of his old Heldon cohorts Didier Batard, Georges Grunblatt, Francois Auger and Patrick Gauthier. I'm not convinced that Pinhas has conquered any new ground here, but the album is quite enjoyable. Track 1 - 'Houston 69', Pinhas relies on Batard, Auger and Gauthier, with processed vocals from Norman Spinrad. The track hits you in the face with a barrage of electronic sounds and sequencers backed with a heavy rhythm, the Guitars are Frippian, and the overall feel is quite dramatic. Next up, RP creates a total re- working of a Bowie composition, 'Sense Of Doubt', fully re-interpreted and un-recognisable from the sensational original with a more ambient/programmed electronic styling. 'Kyoto Number 3' is along the lines of what Tangerine Dream were doing during that time (or were about to do...) with more Fripp-like Guitars and sequenced synths. It can't be helped that Fripp and Pinhas go hand-in-hand when it comes to guitar style. 'La Ville Sans Nom' features Georges Grunblatt on a Polymoog, and is fully along the lines of Fripp/Eno works, with a slow sequence and sustained guitar backdrop with some excellent Pinhas soloing. 'Ruitor' finishes the first side, another ambient piece that's very Eno-esque. Nothing original, nor offensive. The second half of the record has something far removed from anything by Heldon or what was on side 1 - 'West Side' features vocals from a Dominique E. and has more in common with Human League than Prog. Not my favourite tune here, to be honest. It's back to Fripp/Eno territory for the lovely extended piece 'Beautiful May'. This track stars Patrick Gauthier on Polymoog and PPG Synth. 'The Whale Dance' is a short ambient track, and the album rounds off with 'Houston 69 Part 2' - featuring Heldon members again, but this time around sounding more up-tempo and faster paced than the first part. In conclusion, this is a good Prog Electronic album.

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 2002
Post Heldon, Pinhas's solo work has often been conducted with an electric guitar and the kind of infinite tape delay system associated with Robert Fripp and his collaborations with Brian Eno, though recently (like Fripp) he has abandoned the hassles of tapeloops for a stack of shiny digital boxes. In a casual blindfold test 9 out of 10 progheads would probably swear that this album was the work of the Crimson King himself. (If Stars in their Eyes ever do an ambient art rock special, Richard's your man for the Fripp impersonation). Though Pinhas adopts the same, pure fuzzed tone and a liking for big slides up and down the fretboard, closer listening reveals a more personal aesthetic at work. He generates billowing clouds of processed guitar which shift through different tonal centres, sometimes ambiguously, sometimes gently, sometimes suddenly. Improvised lines hover and swoop in the distance, but the guitarist avoids flash heroics, more concerned with maintaining the constant flow of notes into his angelic dronescape. It's music that's in flux and stasis at the same time, with an almost sculptural presence, stuffed with overtones and rich textures. Played loud, it's almost too much, like having your head stuffed inside a recently struck church bell, but it's a deep, fulfilling listen at any volume. If Robert Fripp is still the chairman of The Heavenly Music Corporation, then Richard Pinhas is its C.E.O.

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1979 / 1991
This incredible album of electronica was recorded in 1979 by French guitarist/keyboardist Richard Pinhas (of the prog band Heldon). Although Richard is a guitarist, the instrument is only used sparingly and the aural landscape is largely dominated by brooding synthesizer parts, taped effects, and synthesized percussion. However, drummer Francois Auger and mini-moog player Jean-Phillipe Goude join Richard on the excellent closing track Greenland, which adds a little variety. My general impression of the album is that the overall sound is gloomy, almost menacing at times, and yes, very icy. There is also a bit of an edge to the recording, which becomes apparent on The Last Kings of Thule and The Last Kings of Thule (Part 2), which feature some very Robert Frippish guitar parts and jarring synthesized percussion parts. I really like the two pieces and they both add a great deal of texture and structure to the album. In fact, I think its worth pointing out that this is not a passive listening experience - there is enough going on here to keep you on the edge of your seat. The last track on the album is a mammoth 24'53" bonus epic that was recorded in 1983. Entitled Wintermusic, it is far more ambient, static, and motionless than the challenging material on the original album. All in all, I would have to say that this is an excellent recording of electronica that is highly recommended to fans of 1970s electronica.

Artist: Richard Pinhas
P: 1982 / 1991
Guitarist/keyboardist/visionary Richard Pinhas divided his time and creativity between Heldon and his own solo work: the latter usually gave room to those musical ideas that demanded less of grandiose deliveries but a more concise set of arrangements. "L'Ethique" is his fifth solo effort, and perhaps it is one of the most accurately encapsulated in the definition of "cyber-punk" - the use of electronic resources with heavy accents on counterpoint and pulsation aims at the creation of a rocking sound that feels direct yet still sophisticated beyond the standards of mainstream rock (and electro-pop). The opening namesake track and 'Melodic Simple Transition' are showcases of Pinhas' interest in exploring the potential of techno- pop and state it in a more ambitious framework: the utilization of electronic sequences and layers manages to create a hypnotic, machinist ambience coherent with the catchiness of the main motifs. There are also powerfully rocking pieces in this album, mostly influenced by the emerging Belew-era King Crimson: track 2, precisely titled 'Dedicated to K.C.', is an exciting exploration on guitar counterpoints and dissonant chord progressions. The succession of all three different sections leads to a gradual climax. An excellent piece such as this would have augmented the artistic value of "Beat" or "Three of a Perfect Pair", which only comes to show how an artistic influence received with talent and imagination can lead to a "surpassing the master" moment. The Crimsonian fury will surely return in the very neurotic closing track 'Southbound', where drummer Auger competes with Pinhas himself for the limelight - I wonder if this track wouldn't have been right in place in any of Heldon's late 70s albums. pure progressive historical fiction. 'Belfats' incarnates a very interesting mixture of krautrock-inspired tehno-pop and Frippian soundscapes - this confluence between the ethereal and the robotic portrays the horrors of a civil war in a post-modernistic context fairly well. The second 'L'Ethique' and 'The Western Weil' sets a peculiar combination of mid-70s Kraftwerk and subtle touches of fusion, framed in a Far Eastern mood. The other 'L'Ethique' pieces emphasize the album's ethereal side, which reveal Pinhas' clever use of synthesizers and processed guiar inputs in order to set up a refreshing idea of emotion in sound. My overall balance for this album is quite positive: it is an excellent example of creative regeneration for art- rock in the environment of 80s rock. Pinhas really nailed the art of simultaneously evolving and preserving.